


Left and Leaving

by attaccabottoni



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:48:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25800865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attaccabottoni/pseuds/attaccabottoni
Summary: Ship fic fragments on the empty spaces Vergil wishes to leave behind.(Title is from the song of the same title by The Weakerthans.)
Relationships: Dante/Nero/Vergil (Devil May Cry), Dante/Vergil (Devil May Cry), Nero/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Kudos: 27





	1. 2DV, Bodyswap, 2Dante in Vergil’s body POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _For once, he had sympathy for Vergil’s quest for power, because he would give anything to be able to punch his own face right now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consigning this no-fun-allowed, sad Bodyswap AU here, featuring 2Dante and whatever makes post-Nelo Angelo!2Vergil, with Dante moving from apathy to horror upon experiencing being continuously torn apart in Hell, while Vergil is just as horrified to learn how much killing Nelo Angelo changed his tender-hearted brother for the worse, and they desperately go looking for each other. This is what happens when they meet again.

  
He had no idea if dreaming was possible in Hell, but he thought he heard the familiar rumbling of his motorcycle.

The first thing Dante saw upon opening his eyes was his own wan face leaning over him, mouth slightly open and eyes made enormous with shock.

His entire nervous system was almost overloaded with ever-present pain that no clever quip came to mind, but he managed to crack a smile. “You’re here.”

In hesitation rather uncommon with him, Vergil slowly gathered him in his arms and lifted him with ease. “Dante, we need to get back into our own bodies. The black mirror lake is close by—”

Urgency had him finding the strength to lift a hand and push the chest to which he was being held close. “Wait, we can’t do that yet. Your body—”

Vergil strode through the rough terrain in this area, taking care not to jostle Dante. “There’s no time, the enchantment in the water only works if the souls are strong enough to withstand the switch—”

“I told you, we can’t! If we do that now, then one of us will have to go through the mirror. That means you’ll be left defenseless on the other side.”

Vergil only responded by increasing his pace.

Despite not having any energy left, instantaneous fury at the realization of what Vergil meant to do had him clenching his fist and weakly beat his own chest once. “Damn it, at least get yourself to the human world! Maybe there’s something out there you can use to help you get better!”

“And I told you already, I'm staying.”

“There’s nothing for you here! Demonic power is the only thing that’s keeping your body in one piece, and you won’t even last long without it in the human world. We have to stay together!”

“That may be true, but you need to go back.”

“And wait for the next world-ending disaster so I could find you again?”

Seeing Vergil’s shit-eating smirk on Dante’s face, followed by the familiar “That’s up to your skill,” using his voice, only served to make him angrier. For once, he had sympathy for Vergil’s quest for power, because he would give anything to be able to punch his own face right now.

“You asshole! This is why we both ended up here! Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

He should have known all along that mirrors were bad news. Because the moment their eyes met, he clearly saw Vergil’s sorrow as well as his own reflected there.

“You should know that what you did to Nelo Angelo set me free. It‘s enough to release you from whatever you’ve been holding yourself accountable over that matter.”

“Vergil—”

“There’s no need for you to bother yourself with any of this. Be free in the human world. I will remain here.”


	2. NV, Vergil’s POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If there was anything left for Vergil to teach his son, it was that defying reality would only hurt him in the long run._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My NV fic WIP is supposed to be Nero’s POV, so this scene is going to be rewritten.

"You're the most important person—"

"I'm your father. You seem to have forgotten that."

"No, I haven't!"

If there was anything left for Vergil to teach his son, it was that defying reality would only hurt him in the long run. His ironclad control over his emotions kept his voice as cold as it should be. "Then why are you persisting on this? I am someone who can ruin your life, and nothing more. You shouldn't waste any more of your time on me."

Nero grabbed him by the collar. "You didn't ruin my life, and I'm not wasting my time! You don't get to decide this by yourself, just because you're my father!"

Whatever he did, it wasn't enough. It struck Vergil to the core that it has always been thus. Too late to be a good father. Too bad to be a good brother. Too weak to be a good son.

He had thought that he was the kind of person who faced life head on, who did not give up in making sense of it. But if he could not give his son a future, then what was the point of any of it? In the end, he was a coward, after all.

Vergil shook off Nero's grip and stepped back. "You can't depend on me to bring you anything but unhappiness. Now you are telling me that I should not try to shield you from it. What good will you get out of this?"

"I get to keep trying to make you smile, that's what."

Even now, Vergil was wretched enough for the corners of his lips to helplessly curl a little at that. "That's because you're kindhearted. You shouldn't shackle yourself to me. In time, you will forget your feelings, and thank yourself for avoiding such foolishness in a brief moment of your life."

"I love you." 

He tried to think of what to say to that, but there was nothing.

Nero placed his palm over Vergil's heart. "I don't want you to become just a moment of my life, but all of it, even if it's unhappy. Please, stay with me."


	3. DVN, sex pollen, Dante's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Vergil would smile if Dante were to watch him slowly suffer a preventable death, just to prove a point. Would he say the same to Nero?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch me take all the fun out of the sex pollen concept by making it angst only, and no sexy times.

“No.”

“Vergil—”

“Just leave.”

“What, so you could disappear and never be seen again?”

“Do you think I am so weak that pollen can kill me?”

“I don’t think you are weak at all. But you would have been long gone by now had you the power do so, and why are we even wasting our time arguing?”

“This poison will pass.”

“You practically can’t move a finger, can you?”

The sweat on his temples being the only perceivable sign of the strain he was in, Vergil’s pupil-blown eyes remained stubbornly on Dante, like he was using all his remaining will to keep from looking to the side. “I chose this.”

“And you expect us to go along with it when we can do something about it? After you saved Nero from that damn demonic plant, you’re really just going to let him blame himself for the rest of his life?” When Vergil answered with silence, Dante’s hands twitched from holding in his sudden rage. “Your son will suffer the same pain that we did, is that what you want?”

“This is not the same and you know it—”

“Father, please.”

Vergil closed his eyes briefly, knowing he couldn’t look away forever.

They both turned to Nero, who was white-faced and silently watching their exchange this entire time until he finally spoke, his grip on the Yamato unyielding, like it was the only thing keeping him steady.

“Please,” he repeated.

Dante held his breath. He was used to rejection from Vergil, not that it made the sting feel any less. Vergil would smile if Dante were to watch him slowly suffer a preventable death, just to prove a point. Would he say the same to Nero?

You wouldn’t know it from the way he still held his head high, but Vergil’s shoulders fell, like a wordless admission of something he dared not give voice.

The tightness in his chest unclenched. Slowly taking a step forward, he reached with unsteady hands for Vergil’s feverish face. Finding the hard-won invitation in those gray eyes, he gently touched his forehead to his twin's, and breathed.

“Thank you, Vergil.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And then Dante and Nero spell each other out when the other gets tired from railing Vergil until he finally metabolizes the poison, the end.)


End file.
